The Elder Water Dragon's Request
短短十五分钟,我就走了几十里路,到达了龙谷.龙岛不仅居住着龙.除了数以千计的巨龙外,岛上还有各种亚龙物种,一些圣兽和众多神奇生物的家园.圣兽,就像龙一样,位于行星食物链的顶端.这些生物是魔兽之王——超越第九层力量的生物.在龙岛上,与龙族共存了数千年的圣兽,和我一样,被认可并接受为龙族的荣誉成员.亚龙物种可以被认为是龙的附庸.他们中的大多数人进化了数百万年,拥有一些龙的血统并继承了一些龙的能力.这些亚龙有多种形式.有些类似于飞龙,陆龙和两条腿的飞龙等神奇生物,而另一些则更像人形,如龙人.他们中的大多数人生活在阿达斯大陆上,但只有最强者才被允许居住在龙岛上.只有亚龙种中能够与成年龙相媲美的,才能进入龙谷.回想起我自己进入龙岛的经历,我意识到这是由于卡勒在回顾了我的部分记忆后承认了我的实力.被安置在龙谷?我怀疑这是卡勒的策略,让安娜公主的注意力集中在我身上.骄傲的龙族有安娜这样的例外吗?对我来说,这显然是因为她有像卡勒和阿丽娜长老这样的父母.虽然我和他们的互动有限,但我早就看穿了他们的外表.龙王卡勒无疑是一只精明的老狐狸.一个失误,我可能很容易落入他的陷阱之一.美丽的龙女王,在她温柔的外表下,肯定隐藏着一丝调皮.我猜想她年轻时一定是个麻烦制造者.回到龙之谷,我向守护龙们打招呼,然后进入议会大厅.在那里,卡勒和长老们聚集在一起,显然在讨论一些重要的事情.除了长老们熟悉的面孔外,还有一条新的水蓝色巨龙在场.从它的气息来看,这很可能是水龙族的长老.龙,尽管它们有能力变成人形,但除非必要,否则很少这样做.尽管它们很骄傲,但龙很少屈尊采用人类的形状,只是为了在大陆旅行时方便而这样做.当我走近时,长老和卡勒停止了讨论,转过身来看着我.我感觉到六道强大的龙气压在我身上.龙的光环是龙与生俱来的能力,使它们能够发挥强大的存在感和压力.龙王和五位长老的气场加在一起,对于大多数成年龙来说都是无法忍受的.即使隔着一百米,压力也像一座山压在我身上,仿佛撤退是缓解压力的唯一方法.但我强烈的自豪感绝不允许我如此轻易地退缩.我开始层层流传我的"逍遥诀"手法:第一层:橙色的光在我周围爆发——不够.第二层:橙色加深为黄色——还不够.第三层:黄色过渡到绿色——仍然不够.第四层:绿色变暗为蓝色——差不多了.我几乎无法忍受.第五层:随着我的真气与魔法元素摩擦,产生鲜艳的紫色,我终于可以抵挡龙气了.每向前迈出一步,压力就会加剧.当我离他们十米远时,移动几乎是不可能的.我继续前进,循环着更多的真气.第六层:亮紫色过渡到银色.我注意到龙的眼中闪过一丝惊讶,但我的注意力集中在继续前进上.随着第六层的力量减弱,我距离他们不到五米."够了.测试结束了.那是Kalle的声音.长老们开始收回他们的光环."等一下!"随着一声呐喊,我的身体在金光中炸开.我召唤了我所有的真气,感觉从山岳般的压力中瞬间得到了缓解."金色战气?!"巨龙们齐声倒吸一口凉气,他们的惊讶显而易见.要吓到卡勒和长老们并不容易.这些古老的生物已经生活了几千年,他们的智慧和经验是广阔而无与伦比的.To make six dragons collectively gasp in surprise—it was an achievement few on the continent could claim.Kalle recovered first. Turning to the elders, he asked, "Do any of you still have objections to my proposal?"Elder Alina was the first to agree, followed quickly by the others.The water dragon elder added, "With a golden battle aura expert, I'm confident this problem can be resolved."Confused by their conversation, I looked questioningly at Kalle. He noticed my bewilderment and pointed to the water dragon elder."This is Elder Ruth of the water dragons. She has a request for you."Turning to Elder Ruth, I said, "Greetings, Elder Ruth. How can I assist you?"Elder Ruth smiled warmly and began:"Thank you in advance. The situation is this: While most of us stay on Dragon Island, many dragons are scattered across the human continent.""Dragons, despite our strength, sometimes meet unexpected deaths. Recently, a water dragon named Casio was gravely injured in a territorial dispute with a hydra. When I arrived, Casio had already succumbed to his injuries, and I found a group of despicable humans desecrating his corpse.""Though I managed to recover Casio's body, his dragon crystal was missing. A dragon's crystal, formed from their condensed life force, is their most vital component. Every dragon's crystal must be buried in the Dragon's Cemetery, or their spirit will never rest.""Using ancient dragon magic, I tracked the crystal to the capital of the Austrian Empire, Austelle. But there, the trail went cold. Due to interspecies agreements, dragons are forbidden from entering human cities. Thus, I need you to retrieve Casio's dragon crystal."Kalle added, "It's not just Casio's crystal. Many of our kin's crystals and bodies remain in the hands of other species. I hope you can recover all the dragon crystals and items made from our kin's remains. This is your duty as a member of the dragon clan."I had no objections to this mission. However, my knowledge of human combat skills on this continent was limited, and I was unsure where I stood among their ranks.Recovering dragon crystals and items made from dragon remains would likely pit me against the elite of human warriors.While I wasn't afraid, neither was I foolishly arrogant. "Overconfidence leads to ruin," my master had always taught me.I was curious why Kalle had so much faith in me, trusting me with such a monumental task.Kalle seemed to read my thoughts."Although I haven't seen you in combat, my soul magic confirmed you possess near-Sword Saint strength. Initially, I only intended for you to recover Casio's crystal. But I'm astonished that in just a year, you've broken through again and reached the Sword God level.""And with a year of research, I've found a way to unlock the latent dragon essence within you. Once we do that, your power will increase even further. You will be unmatched on the human continent, except for a few exceptional beings from other races."His words shocked me. Despite Kalle treating me as part of the dragon clan, I had always harbored doubts. I saw myself as a normal human who, through a twist of fate, became part of the dragon clan after crossing dimensions.But if Kalle could indeed unlock my dragon essence, the truth would be undeniable, even to me.I voiced my concern about potentially turning into a half-human, half-dragon creature like the dragonmen.Kalle reassured me, smiling."You have nothing to worry about. I still need you to blend in among humans to retrieve our kin's remains. I wouldn't turn you into something so conspicuous.""The process will only result in you gaining a dragon crystal in your mind. You won't struggle with magic as you do now, and you'll have the ability to shift between dragon and human forms at will."Overjoyed, I recalled my previous attempts at learning magic. Despite my sensitivity to magical elements, I could never manipulate them to form spells, a fact that Anna often teased me about.This opportunity was too good to pass up. Being able to transform into a dragon would make many things easier, not least of which was the ability to fly freely in the sky.While true qi could enable flight, sustaining it over long distances was beyond my current capabilities.I wondered what I would look like as a dragon. Would I be as imposing as Kalle?